"Concessionaires snap up new space at Anchorage airport"

Friday, September 5, 2003
 
Concessionaires snap up new space at Anchorage airport
The Associated Press


ANCHORAGE - A new concourse under construction at Anchorage's
international airport will nearly double the space for restaurants and
shops, and airport officials say they expect to have most of it filled
by the time it opens. 

Concourse C, scheduled to open in June, will increase retail space at
the domestic terminal to roughly 67,000 square feet, up from 34,000,
said John Barsalou, the airport's leasing and property management chief.


Currently, all but 10,000 square feet has been spoken for and the
airport will solicit more bids in the next month or so, Barsalou said. 

The airport will be seeking businesses interested in opening a fitness
center, a video arcade and a relaxation spa, among others, he said. 

"We're expecting three or more bids by the end of the year," he said.
"My goal is to have it all filled by the time it opens." 

Funded with revenue bonds that will be repaid by airport tenants, the
new $223 million concourse is the centerpiece of a broader $408 million
airport-area improvement. The concourse was originally scheduled to be
completed last summer. 

Factors contributing to the delay include a flawed design, a decision to
start construction before permits were in hand, an expansion of the
project and security changes after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks. 

With the end in sight, airport tenants are getting ready to move into
new space. They will put the finishing touches on their stores and
restaurants sometime this winter. 

"What we're seeing is a commitment by the private sector to make
investments in this very valuable asset in Anchorage," said airport
director Mort Plumb. "Not only will we serve the traveling public
better, but we're also going to create some more jobs." 

The airport is an important economic engine for the city. A 2001 study
by the University of Alaska Institute of Social and Economic Research
found that it supplies more than 9,000 jobs and $367 million in payroll
each year.


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dc/dcboard.php

*****************************************